Such a method and corresponding devices are known e.g. from the document GB 2 370 949 A, where a portable cellular phone system with an automatic answering telephone function is described. The answering telephone functions are installed on both the network side and the terminal unit side. The system includes a section for transferring a voice mail message recorded first by an automatic answering telephone center on the network side. The message can be retreived by the adressee by operating a switch on a terminal unit in the phone system.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,636,733 B1 shows a messaging system with a mobile system routing calls to a message processor. The message processor comprises a voice store and forward system for receiving voice and forwarding voice messages. This can be achieved by means of a temporary mailbox associated with a specific callback number assigned to the message.
The known methods and devices, however, have shown the disadvantage that the messages left on the answering machine often are of poor quality or even inaudible. Since the answering machine itself is located within the network, the message recording requires a circuit switched call between the Mobile Station (MS) and the network. As any circuit switched transmission, this call may be affected thus resulting in a poor recording quality of the message.